


Get You The Moon

by drivingmishcrazy



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Bittersweet Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-22 08:57:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22713490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drivingmishcrazy/pseuds/drivingmishcrazy
Summary: Short oneshot set in seasons 6-7.They have haunted one another for months.
Relationships: Derek Morgan/Emily Prentiss
Kudos: 14





	Get You The Moon

He haunted her dreams.

The way he had held her hand, the look on his face as the light began to leave her eyes, how he had begged her not to die. They all came, unbidden, into the few stolen hours of sleep that Emily Prentiss managed to get, thousands of miles away from home, her team, everyone she had ever loved and who had loved her. They all haunted her, but it was Derek Morgan who haunted her the most. She would scream until her throat ached, bang her head against the wall until she was on the verge of losing consciousness and dig her nails into her palms until she drew blood. It didn’t help. Nothing ever did. Because every time Emily closed her eyes, Derek was there waiting for her.

Thousands of miles away, there was another who was haunted in their sleep.

Derek had tried everything he could possibly think of to banish thoughts of Emily Prentiss from his mind. Meditation, alcohol, the sleep aids that his doctor had prescribed him, nothing helped. All he wanted was to fall into a dreamless sleep, but every time he closed his eyes, there she was. Emily Prentiss. Beautiful, ghostly Emily Prentiss, her skin dewy and pale, her brown eyes full of sadness. Somehow she was almost more beautiful in death than she had been in life, and exponentially more terrifying. Derek wanted to run to her, to fall at her feet and beg for her forgiveness for not being able to save her, to take her in his arms and never let her go. But every time he got close, Emily would vanish as quickly as she appeared.

They dreamed of one another for seven months.

Then suddenly, not unlike in Derek’s dreams, Emily reappeared back into his life one chilly fall day. There weren’t words to properly express the hurt and betrayal he felt, knowing she had been alive all along and had stolen away to Paris under the guise of death in hopes that she would have a chance to live. But then she was in his arms again and Derek could think of nothing else. Emily begged his forgiveness, begged the entire team but especially him. Derek forgave her, couldn’t bear to see the pain behind Emily’s eyes, could think of nothing but how she felt in his arms. When she smiled at him, Derek knew that he was always going to forgive her, no matter what she did.

Emily had been been back a month when she came to him, knocking softly on the door to his hotel room, as ghostly as she had ever been in Derek’s dreams, though twice as beautiful. She smiled shyly at him.

“I couldn’t sleep.” She said.

“That makes two of us.” Derek replied. “You wanna talk about it?”

“Not really.” Emily said with a shake of her head “I just don’t want to be alone with my thoughts right now.”

“Okay.” He said. “I can help with that.”

They sat together side by side on the rough bedspread, hand in hand, and didn’t say a word for a very long time. When Emily finally turned to face Derek and opened her mouth to speak, her brow was furrowed and her eyes were full of tears.

“I saw you in my dreams, you know.” Emily said. “Uh, for the past eight month, I- you’ve haunted my dreams, and I don’t know if it’s guilt or fear or- or what, but I feel like I need to tell you again how sorry I am.”

“If you need to, then I need to.” Derek said. “You’ve been in my dreams too, Emily. For months, you were this beautiful apparition who was there every time I closed my eyes. And as glad as I am that you’re here, Emily, I should have  _ been  _ there. I was supposed to protect you and I didn’t and I...it almost cost you your life, and I can’t seem to forgive myself.”

“Derek…” Emily sighed. “It wasn’t your fault…”

“The hell it wasn’t.” He said. “I was supposed to have your  _ back,  _ Emily! And I-“

“And you  _ did. _ ” She said, placing a gentle hand on his face. “You did the best you could, and I love you for it. Look at me, this was  _ not  _ your fault, Derek.”

Derek shook his head. “It wasn’t yours either, you know.” He muttered. “And don’t even open your mouth to try and argue with me. The person we have to blame here is Ian Doyle.”

“You’re right.” She said. “So why are we so quick to blame ourselves first?”

“I wish I knew, princess.” He said. “I wish I knew.”

They fell back into silence. Minutes ticked by. Through it all, Emily never let go of his hand.

“I missed you.” She said. “More than anyone else. I missed you more than anything.”

“I know.” Derek said. “Me too.”

There was no dramatic confession of love, no passionate meeting of lips and bodies. But somehow they both knew, and that was enough for the night. They held each other, speaking in few but meaningful words, and then finally, together, they got the first good night’s sleep either one had had in eight months. The morning brought no shocking revelation, just a subtle knowledge that things had shifted between them. Neither Derek nor Emily knew exactly what that meant for either of them, but the peace they felt around one another, that feeling of being  _ home  _ was enough to make them willing to let things unfold and see where they led. Maybe their paths would diverge, maybe they would come together, but the safety they felt in each other’s hands told them that they would find out the same way they did everything else: together.


End file.
